Such monitoring of exhaust gas limiting values is being increasingly required by legislation. A mass of a pollutant such as particles or nitrogen oxide is established for a distance traveled based on a standard driving cycle; when this mass is exceeded, the vehicle's driver must be advised of the emission problem. In practical driving operation, it must be recognized, in any driving cycle, when the limit is exceeded, while the definition of a vehicle to be considered non-defective or defective must be evaluated according to the standardized driving cycle. Furthermore, making a distinction between non-defective and defective vehicles is difficult, because the difference between a still allowable emission and a vehicle to be considered defective is slight. Thus, U.S. legislation provides that a defect is only 1.5 times the allowable certification limiting value for exhaust gas monitoring. At the same time, it must be prevented that monitoring classifies non-defective vehicles in some driving situations as defective. For this reason, the use of a fixed limiting value, independent of the driving situation, is not a viable method. If the vehicle is being driven under full load, emissions may occur such that a fixed limiting value would be exceeded, although the vehicle is to be regarded as non-defective according to the standard driving cycle. The reverse situation is also conceivable in the case of a fixed limit. A defective vehicle, which is operated at low emission by suitable driving behavior, may remain undetected for a long time, while it would not pass an official test.